


Bitter Liquid

by hart051



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Brunch, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Post-Season/Series 01, Pre-Season/Series 02, Surface world mysteries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:20:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26805019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hart051/pseuds/hart051
Summary: All three Atlantean Teens engage in an iconic surface world tradition, Brunch.
Relationships: Garth & Kaldur'ahm & Tula (DCU), Garth & Kaldur'ahm (DCU), Garth/Tula (DCU)
Kudos: 3
Collections: Young Justice Bingo 2020





	Bitter Liquid

**Author's Note:**

> Been itching to post a new work. This is for the prompt "Tula".   
> I had a hard time deciding for this character. (major spoiler)  
> She's a friend of Kaldur and had been his first crush, but ends up dating his other friend Garth. In "Young Justice Legacy" (a video game canon to the YJ franchise) she makes a heroic sacrifice which sets off several events connected to the beginning of season 2.  
> I thought it would be interesting to introduce her and Garth to coffee, a miraculous drink from the surface world.  
> I've been itching to post something new for weeks. In the bingo challenge, I have three characters left. I still have plans to post something by Halloween or Hallow's Eve, so look forward to it!

It had been a long night going on a mission for the newest members of the Team. Tula and her boyfriend Garth, otherwise known as Aquagirl and Tempest, had been up all night. They had gotten used to living and breathing on the surface world. (It helped to have a friend who went through the process.) It was strange to breathe in air by sucking in versus being underwater, but she figured it had been harder for Kaldur with his gills. 

Today was Sunday. It was a slow day. With there being no missions, Kaldur had thought it would be appropriate to introduce his Atlantean colleagues to the Surface World tradition, brunch. They went to Happy Harbor Cafe. After getting a table and taking a seat, Kaldur requested coffee for the three of them.

“What’s coffee?” Garth asked.

“A beverage made from extracting flavor from the seeds or beans of a coffee plant using hot water. Surface dwellers often drink this in the morning to ‘perk up’ because of the caffeine or the taste.” Kaldur explained. 

“So like tea?” Tula asked.

Kaldur paused for a thoughtful moment. “Sort of. Coffee is made from just the beans, tea is made with the leaves, stem, even flowers.”

"The Surface World has so many mysteries." Garth stated solemnly.

Tula giggled. She knew from both boys were interested in exploring the Surface World from their King's offer of apprenticeship. 

Their server returned with three teal ceramic mugs in all of them was a dark brown liquid. They each took a mug. Tula and Garth eyed the liquid suspiciously, before following their friend’s lead in taking a sip. 

“Hmm.” Tula admired.

“It’s so bitter.” Garth commented, sticking his tongue out in recoil.

“After a while you get used to it.” Kaldur laughed, taking another sip without any recoil.

“I like it.” Tula admitted, taking another sip.

“The Surface world has so many mysteries.” Garth mused, eyeing his drink unsure of what to make of it.

“You could also add cream and/or sugar to it.” Kaldur suggested.

Garth looked at his friend quizzically. “Which do you recommend?”

“Try two cream and one pack of sugar.”

Tula watched in amusement, while taking a sip of her drink. Garth’s face scrunched up in confusion, while Kaldur maintained a neutral face explaining to his friend what he had meant. He demonstrated taking a colorful packet, tore it open and poured the white particle contents of it into his cup. He followed up with two small plastic cups with the opening covered with a thin lid. He pulled back the ‘lid’ of each cup and poured the white liquid into his mug. Kaldur took a thin red stick and swirled his drink several times until the liquid lightened in color. Garth imitated Kaldur, then took a sip of his modified drink. After some consideration, he took another sip.

“Do all humans drink this brown liquid this way?” Garth asked.

“Not always, some drink it cold, some with lots of sugar, more espresso. They even have blended dessert flavored drinks.”

“As I said, the Surface World has so many mysteries.” Garth repeated taking another sip.

“Which we’ll witness together.” Tula said placing a hand over Garth’s free one. 

Garth turned his hand over and gave Tula's a gentle squeeze.

Tula pulled out a menu from the rack and examined it. 

“So what do you think of having?”

**Author's Note:**

> \- I initially thought of having Kaldur introduce his Atlantean friends to coffee, an iconic surface world drink, then decided to make it a 'brunch' and just have a 'fluff' story about them reacting to coffee.  
> \- In "Quiet Conversations" from Young Justice Outsiders (episode 22), Kaldur goes on a 'off the books' surface mission bringing his boyfriend/partner, Wyynde, as back up. While on the surface, Wyynde makes a comment about how breathing on land is so different from breathing in the water.   
> \- You can imagine a setting like those breakfast diners or something like 'Bibbo's Diner' just not as large.   
> \- I don't know exactly what Atlanteans eat while underwater, but I feel pretty confident that they have yet to experience something like coffee.  
> \- Because readers are seeing it from Tula's eyes certain items got a rather 'lengthy' description versus straight out saying it.  
> \- I do not drink coffee. If I need a 'wake me up' I take it in the form of tea or chocolate. So apologies to any coffee aficionados.


End file.
